Tennyson and His Family at Farringford, by Oscar Gustaf Rejlander

Tennyson and His Family at Farringford

Oscar Gustaf Rejlander (1813-1875)

Variously dated: c. 1857 (Watts 40), 1863 (Thorn 527)

"From a daguerreotype" (caption)

Source: Watts, p. 40

Taken in the glade at their Isle of Wight home, the photograph shows Alfred Lord Tennyson with his wife Emily holding his arm and looking up fondly at him. [Commentary continues below.]

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Hallam, the elder son, holds his father;s hand, but looks across at his brother Lionel. Lionel, holding his mother's hand, looks ahead. It is a delightfully affectionate and natural group.

Unfortunately, the picture has not worn well. Theodore Watts writes:

Havoc has been played with this photograph by the sunlight falling on the heads of the figures. Still it is a family picture so intensely interesting that I could not resist giving it ..., though the modern costume, hideous enough when in fashion and intolerable when out of fashion, is very distressing: and the outline of Lady Tennyson's features, so extremely delicate and beautiful in nature, is entirely lost: while the eyes of all the group are darker than in nature — results chiefly due to the fading of the print. [43]

But the clothes seem quaint now, rather than distressing, and nothing spoils the informality and intimacy of the family group.

Related Material

Tennyson and the Visual Arts

Bibliography

Thorn, Michael. Tennyson. London: Little, Brown, 1992.

Watts, Theodore. "The Portraits of Lord Tennyson — 1." The Magazine of Art, Vol. 16 (1893: Dec. 1892-November 1893). 37-43. Internet Archive. Contributed by Robarts Library, University of Toronto. Web. 21 July 2019.

Created 20 July 2019